Sydney Sweeney took inspiration from one of the most famous Guess models of all time when shooting her new campaign for the brand.
The actress is the star of Guess Originals’ latest campaign for its Anna Nicole Smith capsule collection, recreating some of the late Playboy model’s iconic shots from her 1992 Guess Jeans ads photographed by Daniela Federici. Much like the originals, the new black-and-white shots feature Sweeney posing on the beach and in a vintage car wearing various denim jackets and high-waisted shorts, sleeveless button-ups tied into crop tops, and headscarves holding back her voluminous blonde curls.
The Euphoria star told WWD that her love of Guess all began as a teen when she finally recognized her own body type in the brand’s imagery. “When I was maybe 13, I was with my mom, we were in the mall,” Sweeney said. “Ever since a young age, I’ve always had a bigger chest, and I never felt like in any stores I saw a body shape that represented me. And I remember the first time I saw the giant Guess models [ads] in the storefronts, and I was like, ‘Mom, I want to go in the store.’ And she took me in, and I saw all the girls around that had curves and that had boobs, and they were celebrated, and they were loved, and they were beautiful, and I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I hope I grow up and I’m a Guess model.” She added, “I already was getting horribly bullied in school because — I mean, I had big boobs when I was little, and no one else really did. And so seeing those kind of girls, I was like, ‘OK, I’m gonna be OK’…I’m humbled and honored that I get to be that girl for someone else, hopefully.”
Sweeney now joins the ranks of stars like Claudia Schiffer, Gigi Hadid, and Smith who have all served as faces of the brand in the past. But the 1993 Playmate of the Year holds special importance for the actress because, she explained, “I did feel like she represented my body type, and I love her playfulness and her energetic energy that you could feel through these photos, and I always was like, ‘I hope I can emulate her in that you don’t have to be serious sexy all the time.’ Like, her playfulness brought out the sexiness with her, and I love that.” And with this campaign, she added, “I felt the most me I’ve ever felt in a photo shoot…I was able to just bring out the playfulness and happiness in Anna’s photos through me.”
The 32-piece Guess Originals x Anna Nicole Smith collection created in partnership with artist Cali Thornhill Dewitt includes apparel and accessories for both men and women and will be available in stores and online beginning October 7.
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